Conventional electronic devices, such as a digital camera, have incorporated compression systems, which typically require exhaustive integrated circuit solutions. Manufacturing additional hardware to provide high-speed compression typically comes at a high cost by including multiple processing chipsets. Some conventional solutions typically include a digital signal processor (“DSP”) to reduce costs and provide flexibility for system alterations; however, compression rates are greatly reduced.
In some conventional solutions, compression of data has typically used non-volatile memory such as flash memory, thus providing higher density on a given chip area. However, using flash memory has a few drawbacks. For example, flash memory performs write operations in multiple successions, such as performing an erase operation prior to any write operation in order to clear the selected memory cell accordingly, which typically slows down the rate of storing compressed data. In some conventional solutions, adding an erase operation typically requires additional circuitry to handle an extra cycle of operation, thus increasing die area and cost per bit. Also, flash memory typically requires additional file management software that must be mapped on top of a standard file management structure in order to perform an erase operation only to memory cells with written data. Further, adding circuitry to perform an erase operation typically requires high amperage to complete the erase operation, thus increasing usage of battery power.
In other conventional solutions, data provided to an analog-to-digital converter from an imaging device is typically forwarded to a frame buffer, and captures the data prior to compression. However, buffering data prior to compression typically requires additional circuitry, thus increasing power consumption and reducing compression rates. Also, transferring data from a frame buffer to a processor is typically delayed when new data is detected. Further, detecting new data typically requires a complex file manager to handle multiple modes of operation, such as resuming and suspending operations to store or compress data including the new data.
There are continuing efforts to improve techniques for storing and compressing data.
Although the previous drawings depict various examples of the invention, the invention is not limited by the depicted examples. It is to be understood that, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate like structural elements. Also, it is understood that the depictions in the FIGS. are not necessarily to scale.